Slow Cooker Earth Part III: What You Should Know About Species Extinction

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This is the third post in a series that I was inspired to write by what I learned from a recent National Geographic Traveler feature. In today’s post, I give some concrete examples of animal species that are suffering due to global warming.

Many people tend to think that “global warming = everything getting hotter,” so when there are unusually cold winters like the one here in Sacramento, they think that disproves global warming. Unfortunately that’s not the case. Global warming means more extreme weather patterns, both hot and cold, which puts stress on whole ecosystems. Ecosystems are made up of thousands of interdependent living things, and when one member of the food chain disappears, the rest of the system suffers, and it can create a domino effect.

These are just a few of the species that are endangered or already extinct because of human-generated carbon emissions:

Antarctic Peninsula - Emperor and Adélie penguins have long been an attraction for Arctic cruise ships. But they are quickly disappearing along with the floe ice.
Penguin Decline in Antarctica Linked With Climate Change [National Geographic News]

British Columbia - Cold winters used to kill off the beetles that eat the pine forests of Jasper and Banff parks, but now warmer winters allow the beetles to thrive, and the dead, dry pines are left susceptible to raging forest fires.
Forest Was Easy Prey For Raging Tripod Fire [Seattle Times]

Caribbean - Scientists believe dust fallout from unusually hot, dry Saharan wind storms in Africa is carrying a fungus that kills sea-fan coral in Florida and the Caribbean.
African Dust Killing Caribbean Coral [BBC]

Chesapeake - The Chesapeake and Delaware Bays attract the largest amount of migratory shorebirds on the Atlantic–but populations have declined by over 90% due to deepening water, which eats up the birds’ marsh habitat.
The Case of the Vanishing Islands [National Geographic]

Costa Rica - Extreme rain and cold have diminished the food supply for Corcovado howler monkeys, while about 20 frog species in Monteverde are already lost to climate change.
Rain Forest Gets Too Much Rain, and Animals Pay the Price [NYT]
Why The Frogs Are Dying [Newsweek]

Manitoba - Polar bears’ food source in the pack ice is disappearing, and so are the bears! Populations have shrunk by a quarter since 1987 in this bear-watching haven.
Global Warming Could Starve Polar Bears [BBC]

It is no longer debated whether global warming is real; the question is how long will we be idle before we change the ways we live and do business, so that our lifestyle no longer affects our environment so negatively? Take a look back next week for Part IV on how global warming is transforming the faces of iconic landmarks like Mount Kilimanjaro.

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